
Class JEMz^lui 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



Autobiographical Sketch 

of 

Mrs. John Drew 



A.PHICAL 

SKETCH OF 
MRS. JOHN DREW 

WITH AN INTR. 
BV H 

JOHN DR] 



NEW YORK 







MRS. JOHN DREW 

Engraved by Henry Wolf after a 

painting by Sully in 1864 

No<w in possession of John Drew, Esq. 



AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL 

SKETCH OF 

MRS. JOHN DREW 

WITH AN INTRODUCTION 
BY HER SON 

JOHN DREW 

WITH BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES BY 

DOUGLAS TAYLOR 
ILLUSTRATED 



NEW YORK 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

MDCCCXCIX 



FIRST COPY, 






TWO COPIES RECEIVED, C*^~ S, 

Library of Congretf, 
Office f th , 

NOV 1 8 WQ 

Register of Copyrtgh 



COPYRIGHT, 1899, BV 
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 




Introduction 

THE following retrospect of 
a life well spent in the 
pursuit of the most ex- 
acting of professions was written 
down for the immediate delectation 
and edification of the children and 
grandchildren of the gifted woman 
who penned it. 

I think, however, that when such 
an example may teach so much ; 
where the life of an actress has been 
so full of incident and accident, and 



Introduction 

all resulting — through force of char- 
acter and absolute intrinsic worth 
— in ultimate personal and pro- 
fessional regard and reverence, I 
think that the record of such a life, 
reaching over seventy years of the 
dramatic history of our country, 
cannot be without interest to all 
who have at heart the development 
of art at its best. 

It would ill become me, here, to 
more than touch upon the domes- 
tic side of her character, but I may 
be permitted to say that when to 
artistic perfection she added disci- 
pline tempered with gentleness and 
loving-kindness as a mother, and 
when to her other attributes and 
excellences was joined the organiz- 



Introduction 

ing ability and perfect control of a 
theatrical stock company for many 
years, surely it is no assumption 
to say of her to-day, as was said of 
Maria Theresa, " sexua femina in- 
genio vir." Such a character and 
personality must be salient in any 
time or age, and cannot but serve 
as an exemplar. And perhaps the 
fact of four generations of this 
same family having engaged in the 
profession of acting — with credit to 
their calling, and honor to them- 
selves — may still further emphasize 
the real worth of that calling, both 
to the individuals engaged therein 
and the world at large. 

And now, without further proem, 
I beg the public's acceptance of 



Introduction 

these present recollections of i 
woman pre-eminent in the pro- 
fession she so long adorned. 

John Drew. 



List of Illustrations 



Mrs. John Drew 


. Frontispiece 


Mrs. "John Drew 


• • • • 4 


as Mrs. Malaprop 




Thomas Potter Cooke . 


■ ■ ■ • 7 


Miss Maria Foote 


. . . . ii 


as Maria Darlington 




Edwin Forrest 


• • . • • 15 


Edwin Forrest 


. . . . i 9 


as Carivin 




Miss Clara Fisher 


* ... 23 


Joseph Jefferson . 


. ... 27 


(the First of that Name) as 


Solus 


Miss Lane, Eight Tears 


of Age . 3 1 


in the Five Characters in " 


Twelve Precisely 


Madatne Celeste . 


. . . . IK 



List of Illustrations 

Alexina F. Baker ..... jp 

Charles Kemble d.j 

Miss Fannie Kemble /j_j 

Charles Kemble 5/ 

as Charles Surface, in the School for Scandal 

yunius Brutus Booth .... 55 

Miss "Josephine Clifton .... jp 

Thomas S. Hambhn 6j 

Mrs. Shaw 6j 

George Horton Barrett . . . . Ji 

Thomas Apthorpe Cooper • • • 75 

E. S. Conner jp 

Charlotte Cushman 8j 

as Romeo 

Charlotte Cushman 8 J 

as Mrs. Haller 

James Thome pi 

as " Figaro " in the Barber of Seville 

Tyrone Power pj 

John R. Scott pp 

as Pierre 



List of Illustrations 

William Charles Ma ere a dy . . . ioj 

'John Drezu, Sr IOJ 

Mrs. John Drew . . . . .ill 

Mr. John Drew, Sr. .... 113 

as Handy Andy 

Mr. John Drew, Sr up 

as Sir Andrew Aguecheek 

E. L. Davenport 123 

Edwin 'Booth 1 2 J 

Mrs. John Drew 131 

Joseph Jefferson 133 

James Edward Murdoch . . . ijp 

John Drew, Sr 143 

Characters in Two Plays . . . 131 
Play Bill of the Chestnut Street 

Theatre, January p, l82p . . Ifjp 

TVilliam Florence and Joseph Jef- 
ferson 163 

Play Bill of the Arch Street Thea- 
tre, May /_/, 183^ .... i6y 



List of Illustrations 

Play Bill of the Arch Street Thea- 
tre, November 2Q, 1859 . . . ijj 
Silver Salver, Ewer and Goblets . ipj 



Autobiographical Sketch 




Mrs. "John Drew 

as Mrs. Malaprop 
From a photograph, copyrighted, i8gb, by B. y. Falk, Neiv York 




Medal Presented to Miss Lane (Mrs. Dr 

Edwin Forrest, in 1828. 

In the possession of John Drew, Esq. 



I WAS born in Lambeth Par- 
ish, London, England, on 
January 10, 1 820 ; my father, 
Thomas Frederick Lane, was an ac- 
tor of considerable provincial fame, 
and my mother, nee Eliza Trenter, 
a very pretty woman and a sweet 
singer of ballads. That was an 
eventful year for theatrical people. 
The old King, George the Third, 
died, and all theatres were closed for 
one month ; and there was consider- 
5 



Autobiographical Sketch 
able suffering among our kind, as I 
have been told since. At twelve 
months old my mother took me on 
the stage as a crying baby ; but cry 
I would not, but at sight of the aud- 
ience and the lights gave free vent 
to my delight and crowed aloud 
with joy. From that moment to 
this, the same sight has filled me 
with the most acute pleasure, and 
I expect will do so to the last 
glimpse I get of them, and when no 
longer to be seen, " Come, Death, 
and welcome ! " I acted (?) all the 
" children's" parts in the plays then 
usual — Damon s child — and had to 
be kept quiet with cherries before 
my last entrance, and then Mr. 
Macready's eyes frightened me into 

6 




Thomas Potter Cooke 1 * 

From a photograph in the collection of Peter Gihey, Esq. 

* This and the following figures refer to the Biographical 
Notes by Douglas Taylor in the Appendix. 



Mrs. John Drew 

an awed silence. Then I remem- 
ber (I was about five) playing the 
rightful heir in a melodrama called 
" Meg Murnock ; or, the Hag 
of the Glen," where the bad man 
came on when I was sleeping to 
murder me ! Of course I awak- 
ened, and we both traversed the 
stage from different sides, taking 
the greatest care not to meet, when 
I stumbled over a property pitcher, 
and exclaimed, " Oh, it's only the 
jug ! " which was always the signal 
for great applause, and completely 
baffled the bad man. After that, 
in Liverpool, I remember playing 
the brother of" Frankenstein," who 
is killed by the Monster of Frank- 
enstein's creation, acted by the cel- 

9 



Autobiographical Sketch 

ebrated T. P. Cooke, and to this 
hour can remember the horrorwhich 
possessed me at his look and atti- 
tude, my own form dangling life- 
less in his arms. He was a very 
amiable man, and always had some 
nice thing to give me after the 
play. Of course, I cannot give any 
consecutive account of the towns 
we played in. In one of them the 
beautiful Miss Maria Foote acted, 
and I suppose I must have done 
something to please her, as she 
sent for me her last night and gave 
me a lovely wax doll dressed as 
Maria Darlington^ one of her fa- 
vorite parts ; and I thought her 
mother much prettier than she was! 
Then again, in Liverpool — by this 




Miss Maria Foote- 

as Maria Darlington 

From an engraving published by G. Virtue, Londo, 
1823. In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

time I was seven, or very near it — 
we (mother and myself, my father 
was dead two years ago) were at 
Cooke's amphitheatre when they 
played dramas where horses were 
the principal actors ; one of these 
was called "Timour, the Tartar." 
I was Prince Agib, confined in prison 
by Timour, because I was the true 
heir to the throne. My mother 
comes to the court to beseech for 
my liberty and gets into more trou- 
ble, and is cast into "the lowest 
dungeon by the moat," I having 
obtained my liberty in the mean- 
while. The last scene shows a 
practical cataract in the centre of 
the stage, with a prison to the 
right; at a given call I rush on, 
13 



Autobiographical Sketch 

on horseback, and exclaim, " My 
mother, I will free you still ! " and 
rush down to the prison, almost 
under the water, take my mother 
(personated by a young circus rid- 
er) on my horse, clasping me round 
the waist, and dash up the cataract. 
This had been done with enthusi- 
astic applause for many nights ; but 
this evening the horse stumbled 
when on the third table, and rolled 
down to the other two to the stage. 
My mother, being a very fine rid- 
er, saved me from serious injury, 
and the curtain fell. There was a 
universal wish on the part of the 
audience to know if " the dear lit- 
tle girl was much hurt ; " but she 
was insensible to the kind wishes 




Edwin Forrest z 

From a daguerreotype in the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

of her audience, I believe I may 
truly say for the first and only time 
in her life. 

Just after this my mother made 
engagements for us to go to Amer- 
ica, that El Dorado to an imagina- 
tive class, which assuredly theatri- 
cal people are. Mr. John Hallam, 
the accredited agent for Price & 
Simpson, of the old Park Theatre, 
New York, engaged, as was then 
the fashion, an entire company, and 
went with us himself in the packet- 
ship Britannia. The following per- 
sons were included in the company, 
viz.: Mr. Henry Smith, John Sef- 
ton, Mr. Robert Grierson, Mr. and 
Mrs. Mitchell, Miss Stannard and 
her sister Mrs. Hallam, lately mar- 



Autobiographical Sketch 

ried, Master Henri Wells and Miss 
Wells, dancers. We had an ex- 
ceptionally fine passage of four 
weeks (no steam in those days), 
and landed in New York on June 
7, 1827. We remained in New 
York a few days, long enough to 
completely change my mother's ap- 
pearance ; the mosquitoes found 
her a very healthy English woman, 
and feasted at their will. We were 
then sent to Philadelphia, to the 
old Walnut Street Theatre. I re- 
member seeing the " first appear- 
ance " of most of the parties ; of 
course my mother's made the fin- 
est impression on me. It was as 
Margaretta in " No Song, no Sup- 
per." The symphony of her en- 




Edwin Forrest 
as Carivin 

lithograph in the collection of 
Peter Gilsey, Esg. 



Mrs. John Drew 

trance song is a long one, and the 
orchestra had to play it twice, her 
reception was so hearty and her 
nervousness so great. I appeared 
in September, I think, as The Duke 
of York to the elder Booth's Rich- 
ard III. Then we were sent to 
Baltimore, to Mr. Joe Cowell's 
Theatre, where I had the honor of 
appearing as Albert to Mr. Edwin 
Forrest's William Tell, and received 
a medal from that gentleman for 
the performance. At that time he 
was, I suppose, about twenty-two 
or twenty-three, and the handsom- 
est man I ever saw. Alas ! how 
he changed ! Mr. Forrest was 
never a good-tempered man, and 
was apt to be morose and churlish 



Autobiographical Sketch 

at rehearsals. But he had many 
noble qualities ; he was the " fair- 
est " actor that ever played. If 
the character you sustained had 
anything good in it, he would give 
you the finest chance of showing it 
to the audience. He would get a 
little below you, so that your facial 
expression could be fully seen ; he 
would partially turn his back, in 
order that the attention should be 
given entirely to you. This will 
be better understood by actors, who 
know how differently some players 
act. He was not without appreci- 
ation of a little "joke" either. On 
one occasion, at the old Park The- 
atre, we were playing, as an after- 
piece, " Therese, the Orphan of 




Miss Clara Fisher* 



From a lithograph by C. G. Childs, published by R. H. Hobson, Phila- 
delphia. In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

Geneva." He, as Car-win, rushes 
with a drawn dagger into the pavil- 
ion where he believes that Tberese 
is sleeping. Immediately the place 
is struck by lightning ; he then 
staggers out of the pavilion, ex- 
claiming, " 'Tis done ; Tberese is 
now no more." Then Therese en- 
ters and rushes into the pavilion to 
rescue her benefactress. On this 
occasion I, as 'Therese, rushed from 
the house before Carwin had time 
to come out, and we met, face to 
face, in the apartment of the mur- 
dered countess, who had hardly 
finished screaming for her life. I 
was horror-stricken at my error. 
" Oh ! horrors, Mr. Forrest, what 
shall I do ? " He smiled the beau- 



Autobiographical Sketch 

tiful smile which illuminated his 
face, and said : " Never mind. I'll 
go out by the back door ! " 

I must mention now that my 
mother had been married some 
months before to Mr. John Kin- 
lock, a stage manager, and a very 
capable actor and manager. 

Well, from this time my parents' 
ambition was fixed for me. Miss 
Clara Fisher was then at the zenith 
of her attraction, and father deter- 
mined that I should be a second 
" Clara." I appeared at the Bow- 
ery Theatre, at that time a rival to 
the old Park, and was managed by 
the celebrated Mr. Gilfert. George 
Barrett and his beautiful wife, Chas. 
Young and his really lovely wife, 
26 




Joseph Jefferson 5 

[the First of that Name ) as Solus 

From an engraving by D. Edwin after the paint- 
ing by y. Neagle. Published by Lopez & Wemyss. 
In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

Mrs. Gilfert and Mrs. Holman 
were in the company. Shall I ever 
forget my stage-fright whilst wait- 
ing to hear my cue as Little Pickle 
in " The Spoiled Child." But when 
the time of entrance came every 
feeling but exhilaration vanished 
— only the certainty of success re- 
mained. From this time to the 
latter part of 1830 I played as a 
star with varying success (finan- 
cially), among other parts, Dr. Pan- 
gloss, in " The Heir at Law ; " 
Goldfinch, in " The Road to Ruin ;" 
" Winning a Husband " (seven 
characters) ; " 72 Piccadilly " (five 
characters); "Actress of All Work" 
(six characters) ; " Four Mow- 
brays ; " 'Thomas, in " The Secret ;" 



Autobiographical Sketch 

Gregory, in " Turn Out," and the 
fourth and fifth acts of " Richard 
III." I would here mention that 
in acting Dr. Pangloss at the Chest- 
nut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, 
the elder Joseph Jefferson, grand- 
father of the present great actor of 
that name, played Zekiel Homespun. 
Think of that great old actor play- 
ing with a child of nine years old ! 
At one time we (father, mother and 
I) were associated with Madame 
Celeste, her sister Constance and 
husband, Henry Elliott ; and we 
acted and danced through the State 
of New York. All the towns, now 
splendid cities with magnificent 
opera-houses, were then guiltless of 
any decent halls, and the orches- 




2 I 



^ 



§3 

,3 £ 



^ 



"« -r 



Mrs. John Drew 

tras were the great difficulties. In 
Buffalo, a pretty village, the only 
available music was one violin 
played by an old darky, and all he 
knew was " Hail, Columbia " and 
" Yankee Doodle ; " so, as Celeste 
danced twice, the orchestra (!) com- 
menced the first time with " Hail, 
Columbia " and finished with " Yan- 
kee Doodle," and for the second 
dance reversed the order of prece- 
dence. Poor Celeste, who spoke 
very little English then, her pa- 
tience exhausted, exclaimed "D 

' Yankee Doodle ' and c Hail, Co- 
lumbia.' " The latter part of 1 830, 
father, bitten with the idea of man- 
agement, arranged a partnership 
with a Mr. Jones, in New York, 
33 



Autobiographical Sketch 

to take a company out to Jamaica, 
W. I. In November we started. 
The company consisted of Mr. W. 
C. Forbes, Mr. Kelsey, Mr. Crouta, 
Mr. and Mrs. Holden, Miss Smith, 
Mr. and Mrs. Jones, and ourselves. 
When out about ten days we struck 
a hidden rock — a case of ignorant 
carelessness, I should think, as it 
was a most beautiful moonlight 
night. The ship remained stand- 
ing, so every one got dressed, ready 
for leaving, as we could, even at 
night, see the beach before us. The 
captain found that it was San Do- 
mingo. In the morning we all got 
safely to shore, all our baggage with 
us ; then the crew started to erect 
tents, one for the ladies with the 

34 




Madame Celeste** 



From a photograph by Fredricks, New York. In 
the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

gentlemen appertaining to them, 
one for the other gentlemen, and 
one for the crew. Our deck-load 
had been shingles and staves, which 
proved very useful, as did all the 
stores from the ship ; and we set- 
tled ourselves to stay for some 
time, 'as they ascertained that we 
were forty miles from any settle- 
ment, and the captain and one 
other would have to go to the city 
of San Domingo and obtain a brig 
to get us off. To haul by land 
was impossible. We were there 
six weeks, and I celebrated my 
eleventh birthday there. In due 
season we got to the City of San 
Domingo, and there obtained some 
sort of vehicle which took us to 

37 



Autobiographical Sketch 

Kingston, Jamaica. The company 
was quite successful there, but yel- 
low fever killed my father, his 
youngest child, a baby of ten 
months, and nearly took my moth- 
er. Indeed, she had such a siege 
of illness as for a time to completely 
prostrate me. By the doctor's ad- 
vice she went to the north part of 
the island, to Falmouth. I sup- 
pose we acted there, but have no 
remembrance of it. I only re- 
member the amount of kindness 
we met with there, really unparal- 
leled. Rumors of insurrection be- 
came alarming, and my mother and 
myself, driven by the leader of the 
orchestra, Mr. Myers, came across 
the country to Kingston — more 
38 




Alexina F. Baker'' 



From an engraving by H. B. Hall, after a crys- 
talotype. In the collection of Peter Gihey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

kindness there — till finally we em- 
barked for New York; then to 
Philadelphia during the first chol- 
era season. That was a fearful 
time ; but youth must have its 
amusement. In the boarding-house 
I met Alexina Fisher, a very pretty 
little girl one year my junior, and 
we used to act together in the 
empty attic room — stab each other 
with great fury and fall upon the 
ground, until expostulation from 
the boarders in the third story 
caused our reconciliation with tears 
and embraces. In after years Al- 
exina and I were very dear friends. 
She married John Lewis Baker, a 
very good actor. She was a charm- 
ing actress, and they made a mod- 
41 



Autobiographical Sketch 

erate fortune in California, which 
was injured by the deterioration in 
property. At this time, 1832, the 
Arch Street Theatre was flourish- 
ing pretty well with an entire com- 
pany of American actors, which was 
a kind of curiosity, being the first 
of its kind. The managers were 
Messrs. William Forrest and Duffy. 
The company consisted of John R. 
Scott, Mr. Jones, E. N. Thayer, 
James E. Murdock, Mrs. Stone, 
Miss Eliza Riddle and Mrs. E. N. 
Thayer. The latter, though of 
English birth, began her long and 
honorable career on the stage of 
this country. Mr. Forrest was 
backed by his brother Edwin, who 
produced all his original plays at 
42 




Charles Kemble 8 

From a lithographic reproduction of a drawing by R. y. Lane, 
A.R.A. Published by y. Dickinson, London, May, l8jO. In the 
collection of Douglas Taylor, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

the Arch Street Theatre — " The 
Gladiator," " Metamora," " Broker 
of Bogota," and later " Jack Cade." 
This season, 1832, "The Ravel 
Family " came to cheer the op- 
pressed public. What a capital 
performance it was, and how long 
they cheered the people ! I don't 
think one of the " Family " is left ! 
We were divided off soon, mother 
in Baltimore and I in Washington. 
(During a former engagement in 
the last-named city I was on a visit 
to Mrs. Eaton's little girl, and 
Mrs. Eaton took me to the Presi- 
dent's Levee — General Jackson 
then filling the chair of state. She 
introduced me to him. He was 
very kind and sweet to me, kissed 
45 



Autobiographical Sketch 

me, and said I was " a very pretty 
little girl." Need I say that I was 
a Jackson Democrat from that 
hour, and have remained one up 
to date ?) 

Mr. Kemble and his daughter 
Fanny acted in Washington in 
1833. Of course, it may be said 
that I was too young to judge, but 
I shall never forget either of them. 
Mr. Kemble was the only Sir 
Thomas Clifford I have ever seen, 
and he gave to the character a dig- 
nity and pathos without parallel. 
As Julia Fanny was really great, 
as she was in Bianca. 

At the close of the season we 
drifted to Richmond, Va., under 
the management of Mr. Phillips, 
46 




Miss Fanny Kemble 9 



From a lithographic reproduction of a drawing by Gigoux. 
Published by John Spratt, London, l8jO. In the collection of 
Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

known to the profession as " No- 
sey " Phillips. He did finely with 
such stars as Booth, Hamblin, 
Cooper and Miss Vincent. 

I never heard any one read just 
like the elder Booth. It was beau- 
tiful ; he made the figure stand 
before you ! It was infinitely ten- 
der. Some of the passages of 
"Lear" were touching in the ex- 
treme, though he used Cibber's 
frightfully bad edition of that sub- 
lime tragedy. He had some very 
odd ways at times. We were play- 
ing " Hamlet " one night in Nat- 
chez, and during Ophelia 's mad 
scene a cock began to crow lustily. 
When the curtain fell upon that 
fourth act this crowing became more 

49 



Autobiographical Sketch 

constant ; and when the manager 
could not find Mr. Booth to com- 
mence the next act he looked up 
and saw him perched on the top 
of the ladder, which was the only 
way to reach the " flies " in that 
primitive theatre. The manager 
ascended the ladder and had quite 
a lengthy discussion with Mr. 
Booth, who at last consented to 
come down on condition that he 
should resume his high position 
after the play, and remain there 
until Jackson was re-elected Presi- 
dent. 

Mr. Hamblin was a splendid- 
looking man and a very good ac- 
tor. I don't think he could ever 
have been called " great." He 

5° 




Charles Kemble 

as Charles Surface, in the School for Scandal 

From a lithograph published by T. McLean, 
Haymarket, London. In the collection of 
Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

had a long career as manager of 
the Bowery Theatre, and brought 
out several female stars. Miss 
Naomi Vincent was a very sweet 
actress, who died in her youth ; 
Miss Josephine Clifton, " divinely 
fair and more than divinely tall," 
she being five feet eleven inches 
high. She was a very beautiful 
woman, but never arrived at any 
distinction as an actress. She died 
young. Mr. Hamblin finally mar- 
ried Mrs. Shaw, a once beautiful 
woman, bearing a strong resem- 
blance to Mrs. Siddons's portraits. 
She was an excellent tragedienne, 
and died in middle age, closing life 
as Mrs. Judge Phillips. 

Mr. Cooper was a very hand- 
some man (the remains of one 

53 



Autobiographical Sketch 

when I saw him), eminently gen- 
tlemanlike in appearance. In the 
company of the old Chestnut Street 
Theatre at this epoch was a young 
actor, Mr. George Barrett, called 
generally " Gentleman George." 
He was a juvenile actor of great 
local repute in Philadelphia, and 
moved among all the young swells 
of that day. He was to play 
Laertes in " Hamlet " with Cooper, 
who arrived from Baltimore too 
late for rehearsal ; so George went 
to his dressing-room in order to 
ascertain the arrangement of the 
fencing match in the last scene. 
Mr. Cooper was morose, and said, 
" Go to the prompter, sir, and find 
out ! " When the fencing began 

54 




"Junius Brutus Booth 10 

From a daguerreotype in the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

Barrett would not let Cooper dis- 
arm him, and the audience could 
see this fact and became excited. 
Finally Barrett, with sword down, 
stood quietly to be run through by 
Cooper. When the curtain fell 
Cooper started up in a towering 
passion, and exclaimed to Barrett, 
" What did you mean by your 
conduct, sir ? " Drawing himself 
up to his full height, six feet two 
inches, Barrett replied, " Go to the 
prompter, sir, and find out ! " 

When they went away there was 
nobody engaged to follow them. 
The manager sped away to New 
York to secure talent and never 
returned, leaving us to act if any- 
body would come to see us ; but 

57 



Autobiographical Sketch 

they didn't. Consequently, we were 
all anxious to be gone ; and some- 
how the voyage was arranged for, 
and we embarked on a schooner. 
The company consisted of Edmon 
S. Conner, Thomas Hadaway, Mr. 
Isherwood, mother, myself and a 
little half-sister named Adine. We 
were wrecked on a sand-bar in Egg 
Harbor, West Indies, in the mid- 
dle of a very stormy night. Up 
and dressed in a few minutes, 
watching and listening for the 
planks to give way, as nothing 
could be done in the way of rescue 
till morning. Little Adine was 
quite passive, only saying, "Mama, 
if we all go in the water, will God 
give us breakfast ? " Our rescue 
58 




Miss Josephine Clifton 11 

From a lithographic reproduction of a drawing by Gambardella. In 
the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

was somewhat perilous, as we went 
along the bowsprit with our feet 
on the rope below, and when we 
got to the end dropped into the 
boat at the moment it came up on 
the waves ; but we all got off and 
had a long walk in the deep sand 
to the first house we came to, and 
then after refreshments (!) it was 
arranged that we should proceed 
to New York in a " wood boat " 
— that was, a vessel without any 
bulwarks, and loaded with wood 
for building. Into this we were 
packed, and finally arrived in New 
York on a magnificent morning. 
Mother and I had an engagement 
with Mr. Hamblin at the new 
" Bowery." At this time I was of 

61 



Autobiographical Sketch 

a very unhappy age (thirteen), not 
a child and certainly not a woman, 
so the chances were against my 
acting anything of importance. 
When " The Wife " was brought 
out I was cast for Florabel — a 
young person who enters with a 
soliloquy of about fifty lines in 
Sheridan Knowles's most inflated 
style, which they "cut out" bodily 
the second night of the play. 
There was " another check to 
proud ambition ! " Then Mr. 
Gale and his horses arrived from 
England. " Mazeppa " was pre- 
pared, Mr. Farren, the stage man- 
ager, said, at an expense of exactly 
$100, and they made thousands 
from it. Then, in consequence of 




Thomas S. Hamblin 12 



Drawn on stone from life by S. H. Gimber. In the collection of 
Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

a lady's illness, I got a little cham- 
ber-maid's part, with a front scene 
with Mr. Gates, the popular com- 
edian, and sang a little song called 
" Nice Young Maiden " for forty- 
eight successive nights, and was 
very happy, for my song was always 
encored. Mother, being ambitious 
for me, accepted an engagement at 
" The Warren Theatre," Boston, 
managed by Mr. Pelby, the well- 
known actor and manager, where 
we jointly received a salary of $16 
per week. I don't know how we 
lived ; but mother was a splendid 
manager at that time, a marvel- 
ously industrious woman, and we 
all lived at " Ma " Lenthe's, at the 
corner of Bowdoin Square, a gable- 

6S 



Autobiographical Sketch 

end. We had a large room on the 
second story, a trundle bed which 
went under the other for the ac- 
commodation of little children, a 
large closet in which we kept a 
barrel of ale and all our dresses, 
and passed a very happy two sea- 
sons in the enjoyment of that large 
salary, which was eked out by the 
three clear half-benefits very nicely. 
The company at the " Warren " 
consisted of Fred. Hill, stage man- 
ager and actor; J. S. Jones, J. 
Mills Brown, Mr. Spencer, Mr. 
Houpt, Mr. Meers, Mr. William 
Rufus Blake and wife, Miss Pelby, 
Mr. Pelby, Miss E. Mestayer, 
Miss Kerr, Miss Arbury, and 
mother and myself. In the sum- 

66 




Mrs. Shaw 13 



From an engra-ving by T. Bonar from a daguerreo- 
type by M. Douglass. In the collection of Peter 
Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

mer some of us went to Portland, 
Me. I acted Julia there, and won 
considerable local fame. Some of 
the patrons of the theatre wanted 
to see " George Barnwell," and 
decided that I must act Millwood, 
because I was too young to make 
ill -thinking possible. At the close 
of the second season at the " War- 
ren " we went to Halifax, Nova 
Scotia, to act with the Garrison 
amateurs twice a week during the 
summer. We saw a good deal of 
human nature there — all the petty 
strife of real actors without their 
ability. However, it passed the 
summer away very pleasantly. We 
were under engagement now to go 
to New Orleans, to the new St. 
6 9 



Autobiographical Sketch 

Charles Theatre ; but that didn't 
open till late in November, so on 
our return to Boston Mr. Thomas 
Barry, a very old friend of my 
parents, offered us an engagement 
till such time as we should go to 
New Orleans. Madame Celeste, 
now a great attraction, played just 
at the opening, and I (then fifteen) 
played several young mothers of 
the rightful heirs in her pieces. 
Oh, what a delight it was then to 
drag a little child after me during 
three long acts, to have him 
wrenched from my arms, torn 
away in despite of my unearthly 
shrieks to summon my faithful 
page (Celeste), who undertook to 
find him and punish the " wretches 




George Horton Barrett 11 

From a photograph by Meade Brothers, 
New York. In the collection of Peter 
Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

who had stolen him," and always 
succeeded after many hair-breadth 
escapes in the " imminent deadly 
breach ! " We went to New Or- 
leans in the good ship Star. On 
the ship were Clara Fisher, Mr. 
James Gaspard Maeder, to whom 
she had been married for about a 
year, and their beautiful little baby 
girl; Miss Charlotte Cushman (Mr. 
Maeder's pupil), Signor Croffi, a 
great trombone player ; Signor 
Cadori, greatest of bass-violin play- 
ers ; Signor Burkia, great violon- 
cello player, and some others whose 
names have escaped me, all bound 
for the new " St. Charles." As 
our ship entered the Belize another 
one laden with more recruits met 

73 



Autobiographical Sketch 

us, containing Mrs. Gibbs, a lovely 
soprano ; Mr. Latham, the com- 
edian, and many others direct from 
England, and Mr. T. Bishop. Of 
course, there were great shaking of 
hands and affectionate greetings. 
Upon our arrival Mr. James H. 
Caldwell, the owner of the fine St. 
Charles Theatre, called upon us, 
and we began the season late in 
November. The company was a 
very large one, consisting of Mr. 
De Camp, Mr. J. Cowell, Mr. 
Barton, Mr. Latham, Mr. Henry 
Hunt, Mr. B. De Bar, Mr. Cre- 
veta, Mr. James E. Murdock, Mr. 
Tom Bishop, Mrs. J. G. Maeder, 
Mr. George Holland, Mrs. S. 
Conde, Mrs. Bannister, Miss Ver- 

74 




Thomas Apthorpe Coopt 



From an engraving by Edi 
tion of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



In the collec- 



Mrs. John Drew 

ity, Miss C. Cushman, Mrs. Gibbs, 
Miss De Bar, mother and myself. 
The orchestra was a splendid one, 
all soloists. Mr. Maeder was mu- 
sic conductor and Mr. Willis the 
leader. We opened with " The 
School for Scandal." Mrs. Mae- 
der's reception as Lady Teazle was 
memorable. I was Maria. In 
" The Spoiled Child," which con- 
cluded the performance, Miss De 
Bar played Little Pickle and made 
quite a hit. Mr. Caldwell wanted 
me to do it, but I begged off. In 
the March following I was mar- 
ried, at sixteen, to Mr. Henry 
Blaine Hunt, a very good singer, a 
nice actor, and a very handsome 
man of forty. In the summer we 



Autobiographical Sketch 

went to Louisville, and returned to 
New Orleans for the second sea- 
son. During this season Madame 
Celeste produced " Le Dieu " and 
" Le Bayadere." Mr. George Hol- 
land went to Havana as agent, and 
engaged two dancers to alternate 
the second " Bayadere." At the 
end of the piece Celeste sent for 
me (we were all Bayaderes) and 
said, " Louise, you must be the 
second Bayadere to-morrow ; I will 
not have those coming from Ha- 
vana. They are too dreadful ! " 
She denied all remonstrances, and 
I danced the trial dance for twelve 
nights with considerable applause. 
Acting on Sunday came into 
fashion this season, and as at that 




E. S. Conner'* 



From a photograph by Fredrscks, New York. In 
the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

time I was too good a Christian to 
do that, and as I acted in every- 
thing, there was a great trouble to 
get my parts studied for one night. 
My engagement closed with the 
season. The next season was spent 
in Vicksburg, Miss., under the 
management of Scott & Thorne. 
Mr.' Scott was known as " Long 
Tom Coffin " Scott, and Mr. James 
Thorne was an English barytone 
who had come over to the Old 
Park, and had drifted into low 
comedy, and was a very good ac- 
tor. Here I played chamber-maids 
and all the like business. The 
next season Mr. Thorne went to 
Natchez, Miss., and we went with 
him. This was my first recognized 



Autobiographical Sketch 

position as leading lady ; we played 
" The Lady of Lyons " for the first 
time. Mr. C. Horn (?) was the 
Claude Melnotte; it was very suc- 
cessful. Here I first acted Lady 
Macbeth with Mr. Forrest ; sang 
Cinderella and Rosina in the stock, 
and at the close of the season went 
to Philadelphia. There I was en- 
gaged by Mr. Mayer for the Wal- 
nut Street Theatre for leading lady 
at the highest salary known there, 
$20 per week. How did we do 
it ? Of course, we didn't dress as 
we do now, and I am inclined to 
think acted all the better. The 
next two seasons were passed at the 
old Chestnut Street Theatre. Mr. 
Tyrone Power acted there for three 
82 




Charlotte Cushman 1 " 

as Romeo 

From a photograph by Chase 6f Getchell, Boston. 
In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

weeks ; and as he had specified all 
the company were to play in his 
pieces, I was in every one except 
" The Irish Tutor" and " O'Flan- 
nigan and the Fairies." He was a 
truly great actor in his line, and 
chose to be very agreeable during 
his last engagement. During the 
latter part of the second season the 
payments became so infrequent that 
I was obliged to stop playing, and 
went to Pittsburg with Mr. Dinne- 
ford of the Walnut. Here we pro- 
duced " London Assurance " with 
a degree of excellence unheard of 
in that vicinity — a fountain of real 
water, and entirely new carpet and 
furniture, mirrors, and new cos- 
tumes. 

Then we drifted into Cincinnati 
85 



Autobiographical Sketch 

and Louisville, where we were in 
dire straits ; and I played Richard 
the Third to get us out of town, 
and it did ! Next, I was offered 
an engagement at the Park The- 
atre, New York. That was the 
goal of my ambition. I went there, 
and during the season played every 
variety of character ; but Fortunio 
was a big success. The Park had 
a right, from time beyond compu- 
tation, to close for two months 
from the first of July if they de- 
sired ; well, they did desire it, and 
did it. Some few of us went to 
Baltimore to play at the Front 
Street Theatre, but they did not 
want us there. Mr. E. N. Thayer, 
who was managing Peele's Mu- 

86 




Charlotte Cushman 

as Mrs. Haller 

From a lithograph by G. B. Black of the painting 
by Wm. Henry Watkins. In the collection of Peter 
Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

seum for the owners, came to me 
and proposed that we should act 
there such pieces as required only 
three or four persons. In despera- 
tion we agreed. He was to have 
two shares, in virtue of his rig-out, 
the bills and managing. I was to 
have two shares, being leading lady; 
Mr. Hunt one and my mother one. 
The opening night I was dressing 
for " The Swiss Cottage" very de- 
jectedly when my sister Georgia, 
who was looking through a hole in 
the green curtains, came in and said 
excitedly, " Oh, Louise, there are 
quite a number of people in, and 
one gentleman in full dress." After 
this I dressed with great alacrity, 
sustained by my sister's jumbled 
s 9 



Autobiographical Sketch 

statements of the increasing audi- 
ence. We acted with enthusiasm, 
and greatly pleased the company 
in " The Lecture Room." After 
the entertainment was over Mr. 
Thayer sat before a table on the 
stage with the receipts of the night 
before him, and solemnly handed 
each person his or her share or 
shares, in specie (and very welcome 
it was to all). This ceremony oc- 
curred nightly, and, unlike most 
ceremonials, never became tiresome. 
We played for over four weeks 
with increasing attractiveness, and 
regretted being summoned to the 
reopening of the Park. There was 
some talk about not returning, but 
the Park was a power then ! The 
9 o 




'James Thome 



18 



as ' ' Figaro ' ' in the Barber of Seville 

Draivn on stone by A. Newsam from a painting by Joseph Buske. In 
the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

next season they closed for six 
weeks in the winter, and I went to 
the Bowery, where John R. Scott, 
James W. Wallack, Jr., Mrs. Her- 
ring (a great local favorite) and 
myself played ten acts of tragedy 
and comedy nightly for two weeks. 
Then " Beauty and the Beast " was 
produced. J. W. Wallack, Jr., as 
The Beast, Mr. Charles Hill, as Sir 
Aldgate Pump, Mr. Gates, as John 
Quill, and myself as Beauty. It 
was quite successful. In the sum- 
mer we went to the Albany Mu- 
seum. My heart sank when I saw 
the place ; but everything pros- 
pered there after this, and I have 
reason to look back upon the time 
spent in Albany with gratitude. 

93 



Autobiographical Sketch 

After the lapse of one year's ab- 
sence I returned to the Park, acting 
everything. They always had some 
very good actors there, but their 
utility people were the worst ever 
seen. Acted with Mr. Macready, 
James Anderson, John Collins, J. 
B. Booth, etc. Macready was a 
dreadful man to act with ; you had 
the pleasant sensation of knowing 
that you were doing nothing that 
he wanted you to do, though fol- 
lowing strictly his instructions. He 
would press you down with his 
hand on your head, and tell you in 
an undertone to stand up ! Mr. 
Macready was a terribly nervous 
actor ; any little thing which hap- 
pened unexpectedly irritated him 

94 




Tyrone Power 19 

From an engraving by J ' . Sands, after a painting by J. 
Simpson. In the collection of Douglas Taylor, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

beyond endurance. One night, at 
the Park, " Macbeth " was the 
play. Mrs. Sloman, an old-fash- 
ioned actress, dressed Lady Macbeth 
in the manner which prevailed in 
her early life — in black velvet, point 
lace and pearl beads. In the mur- 
der scene part of Macready's dress 
caught on the tassels of her pearl 
girdle ; the string broke, the beads 
fell on the floor, softly, with a 
pretty rhythmic sound, distinctly 
heard through the intense silence 
of the scene. This so exasperated 
Mr. Macready that he was almost 
frantic, until, with the final line of 
the scene, " Wake, Duncan, with 
the knocking, oh ! would thou 
couldst," he threw Mrs. Sloman 



Autobiographical Sketch 

off the stage, with words which I 
hope were unheard by the public, 
and were certainly unfit for publi- 
cation. 

After this I went to New Or- 
leans, to Ludlow & Smith, prover- 
bially the closest pair in the profes- 
sion. They gave me $3$ per 
week, a larger salary than they ever 
gave Mrs. Farren. Mr. Chippen- 
dale was there, too, and we acted 
together all the popular small com- 
edies of the day, now forgotten by 
all. Some seasons previous to this 
I went to Chicago to open the first 
theatre built there by Mr. John 
Rice, who afterward became one of 
the valued citizens of that rising 
city, and ultimately the mayor, and 
then one of the representatives of 




John R. Scott 20 

as Pierre 

From a lithograph, by A. Neivsam, after a painting by T. Sully, 
Jr. In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

the State in Congress. He was 
the best man I ever knew, the very 
embodiment of justice and common 
sense. 

In 1848 I married Mr. George 
Mossop. He died a few months 
after in Albany, and in 1850 I was 
married to Mr. John Drew, al- 
though the marriage was not made 
public for some months, as I had 
several engagements to fulfil be- 
fore I could join him. Then we 
went to Chicago for the season, 
and Buffalo, then to Albany. We 
went in the summer to New York, 
to act small comedies at Niblo's. 
In the company were W. R. Blake 
and wife, Lester Wallack, Mrs. 
Stephens, Mr. Joseph Jefferson, 
Mr. Drew and myself. We played 



Autobiographical Sketch 

in conjunction with Signor Soto, 
Mons. Meye, Mile. Leontine and 
Mile. Dreux — a dancing party 
brought to the country for Niblo's 
by Mr. J. H. Hackett. Six weeks 
comprised the season ; then we 
went to Philadelphia, to the old 
Chestnut Street Theatre. 

The season opened with Cibber's 
comedy of " She Would and She 
Would Not," with the following 
distribution of characters : 

Don Manuel Mr. John Gilbert. 

Don Philip Mr. Dickerson. 

Don Octaijio Mr. Eytinge. 

Trappanti Mr. John Drew. 

Soto Mr. J. S. Clarke. 

Hypolita. Mrs. John Drew. 

Flora Miss Celia Logan. 

Rosaro Mrs. Gladstone. 

Viletta Miss Lizzie Steel. 

102 




William Charles Macready 21 

From a lithograph by Aug. Lemoine. In the col- 
lection of Douglas Taylor, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

Not one person had ever acted 
in the play before or ever seen it 
acted. It was very successful. The 
farce was " The Miseries of Hu- 
man Life," with Mr. Drew, Mr. 
Thayer and myself. When the 
season was nearly ended we with- 
drew from the company, and trans- 
ferred our services to the Arch 
Street Theatre, then under the 
management of Mr. Hemphill. 
The lease was offered to Mr. Wil- 
liam Wheatley and John Drew. 
They accepted it, and the following 
season opened as Wheatley & 
Drew's Arch Street Theatre. I 
didn't play during the early part of 
the season, and Mrs. D. P. Bowers 
was engaged, whose recent death 
105 



Autobiographical Sketch 

must be deplored by all who knew 
her. 

At the end of their second sea- 
son John Drew retired from the 
concern and J. S. Clarke came into 
it. John and I traveled in 1857, 
came back to Philadelphia in the 
spring, and joined Mrs. Bowers's 
company at the Walnut Street The- 
atre. Mr. Drew, accompanied by 
my mother, paid a visit to England 
and Ireland. I took the leading 
position at the Walnut, and they 
returned in the winter, when Mr. 
Drew played a long engagement at 
the Walnut. 

(It is proper here to say that I 
had three children in these five 
years — Louisa, John and Georgie.) 




"John Drew, Sr.' 



From a photograph in the collection of Louis Evan 
Shipman, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

The next season I was engaged at 
the Arch by Wheatley & Clarke. 
We brought out " The Sea of Ice " 
and " The Naiad Queen," having 
before that produced " The Ameri- 
can Cousin," " Pauvrette," and 
" The Octoroon," in all of which I 
sustained the principal female char- 
acters. In the meantime Mr. Drew 
went to Australia, via California, 
and from there to England, acting 
most sucessfully in all the cities. 

In i860 it was proposed by the 
stockholders of the Arch that I 
should assume the management, 
and in 1861 the theatre was opened 
as Mrs. John Drew's Arch Street 
Theatre. A good deal was done 
to beautify the theatre.- It was a 
109 



Autobiographical Sketch 

hard season to meet. I borrowed 
money every week to meet the 
salaries. Mr. Drew returned just 
after Christmas and acted one hun- 
dred nights, then went to New 
York on business, returned, and 
died, after three days' illness, in 
May, 1862. The next season I 
got on rather better, and then it 
was determined by the stockholders 
to pull down and rebuild the the- 
atre from the stage to the front. 
This was done in the summer, and 
we opened the third season with the 
Richings Opera Company. Wal- 
lack, Davenport, Edwin Booth, 
and a number of the best stars 
acted here, and it was a very fine 
season, enabling me to pay back 




Airs. 'John Drew 

From a miniature in possession of John Dreiv, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

all the money I had borrowed for 
the first, which gave me great joy 
in the doing. 

Mr. E. L. Davenport was a very 
fine actor. I first met him at the 
old Chestnut Street Theatre, when 
he was a very handsome young 
man. Even at that time he was 
very versatile, and always continued 
so, to his detriment, it was thought. 
When he had the new Chestnut I 
saw him play Sir Giles Overreach 
in a masterly manner. As Sir 
Giles Mr. Davenport surpassed 
even the elder Booth, and to those 
who remember that great actor 
nothing can be said beyond that. 

Edwin Booth had a very sweet 
character and a charming manner 
113 



Autobiographical Sketch 

at rehearsals, which he detested. I 
think, after Hamlet, his Bertuccio in 
the " Fool's Revenge " was his 
finest representation. He threw 
his whole soul into it, and it was, 
indeed, a performance to be re- 
membered. 

For about eight years fortune 
favored me. The great little ac- 
tress Lotta acted with me for sev- 
eral years — long engagements, 
which were never enough for the 
public's satisfaction or my own. 
During this time many of my com- 
pany went to New York — Mr. F. 
F. Mackay, Louis James, Robert 
Craig, who was one of the most 
talented young men I ever met ; 
Charlotte Thompson, Stuart Rob- 



fli 






Bk-i 



Mr. yobn Drew, Sr. 

as Handy Andy 

From a photograph by Germon, Philadelphia, 
the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

son, Miss Fanny Davenport, etc. 
Several became stars. About this 
time I concluded to follow the ex- 
ample of all the other theatres in 
the city, and ceased to have a stock 
company, and called the theatre a 
" combination theatre ; " but it 
never did so well as before. The 
public seemed to miss the old fa- 
vorites and not to care for the new 
ones. I clung with such tenacity 
to the old customs that we were 
the last to take up matinees. There 
were two new theatres on Chestnut 
Street and one on Broad Street. 
They eventually became as one, 
having the same manager. Thus 
they and the old Walnut and new 
Park got all the best stars or com- 



Autobiographical Sketch 

binations, and we were obliged to 
put up with what they kindly left. 
Then the people began to find out 
that the theatre was " out of the 
way " — " it was too far uptown " 
(there are now six theatres very 
much above it, "uptown"). My 
only remaining great attraction was 
Mr. Jefferson. Just before one 
of his engagements, as he and I, 
with two other parties, were sitting 
in the office, a lady came up to 
the window of the box - office to 
get seats. " Oh, papa told us 
(she was about fifty) we must be 
sure to see Mr. Jefferson ; but 
please give us three good seats, 
down low, because papa told us 
they were all old people, so we 




Mr. John Drew, Sr. 

as Sir Andrew Aguecheek 

From an engraving published by 
yohnson & Co. In the collection of 
Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

want to get as close as we can to 
hear them ! " This observation 
occasioned much mirth, for the 
" old people " consisted of Mr. 
Jefferson, Mr. Florence, Mr. Frank 
C. Bangs, Mr. Jack Barnes, and 
myself. In 1880 or 1881 I en- 
gaged with Mr. Jefferson to travel 
with riim and act Mrs. Malaprop 
in " The Rivals," and from that 
time till 1892 continued to do so. 
From the time when Mr. William 
Florence was engaged, we did 
nothing but " The Rivals " and, 
occasionally, "The Heir-at-Law." 
Poor Mr. Florence, he was the 
best Sir Lucius 0' Trigger I ever 
saw. He obtained more effect out of 
the text than anybody reading it 



Autobiographical Sketch 

would think possible. Our first 
cast of the comedy was as follows: 

Sir Anthony Mr. Fred. Robinson 

Captain Absolute .... Mr. Maurice Barrymore 

Sir Lucius O' Trigger Mr. Waverly 

Falkland Mr. Taylor 

Fag Mr. Tom Jefferson 

David Mr. Gallagher 

Mrs. Malaprop Mrs. John Drew 

Lydia Miss Rosa Rand 

Lucy Miss Paul 

Bob Acres Mr. Joseph Jefferson 

I forget how many miles Mr. 
Barnes computed we had traveled 
the season he was with us, but I 
know he said 19,000 and some. 

Every season was a happy one. 
The latter part of the time Mr. 
Jefferson was busy on his delight- 
ful autobiography, and used occa- 
sionally to read it to us. We gen- 
122 




E. L. Davenport 2 ^ 

From a photograph. In the collection of Peter Gihey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

erally traveled in our own car, and 
enjoyed " every comfort of home," 
in the true sense of the word — not 
as depicted in the farce. 

To return to the subject of the 
Arch Street Theatre : when I re- 
turned there in 1892, at the close 
of the season, I found the business 
of -the season had been so very 
poor ; and as the outlook for the 
next season was no better, I con- 
cluded to give it up (if the stock- 
holders would permit me to do so), 
and I wrote to the Board of Agents 
to that effect, and they agreed to 
my wish. And I must here pay a 
merited acknowledgment of the 
continued kindness and good-will 
shown me by that board, in every 



Autobiographical Sketch 

way and at all times ; for which I 
tender them my sincere thanks and 
best wishes through all time. After 
this resignation had been accepted, 
the ladies of Philadelphia tendered 
me a reception, which was largely 
attended, at the Art Club. 

Soon after this a testimonial was 
arranged to be given me at the 
Academy of Music, on which oc- 
casion the utmost good- will was 
shown me by the entire profession. 
The Lyceum Company came on and 
played a short comedy. Mr. Crane 
and his company played one act of 
" The Senator," Mr. and Mrs. 
Kendall appeared in " A Happy 
Pair ;" and we concluded the bill 
with the second act of "The Rivals," 
126 




Edwin Booth 24 ' 

From a photograph by Brady. In the collection of Peter Gihey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

with Mr. Jefferson, Maurice Barry- 
more, Louis James, Roland Reed, 
Miss Viola Allen, and myself. It 
was a memorable night for me. 

The next thing was, what was I 
to do with myself ! I couldn't 
live in Philadelphia in the manner 
in which I had always lived; couldn't 
afford it. So I moved to New 
York, after nearly forty years of 
housekeeping in Philadelphia. It 
was a terrible wrench ! To look 
about for "something to do" at 
seventy-two years of age ! But I 
was still in the possession of splen- 
did health, good spirits, and the 
love of my two remaining children. 
My adopted son, Sidney White, 
for many years known as Sidney 



Autobiographical Sketch 
Drew, immediately undertook to 
make a five weeks' engagement ; 
and as the terms were financially a 
certainty, I accepted and played for 
the five weeks with great success 
in Philadelphia, Brooklyn and 
Harlem; then three weeks in New 
York, at the Standard Theatre, 
as the theatrical Mother-in-Law in 
" An Arabian Night," in conjunc- 
tion with Joseph Holland, Miss 
Evelyn, and Agnes Miller, under 
the management of Charles Froh- 
man. 

The next season I went out as a 
sort of star, under engagement to 
Sidney. We penetrated from San 
Francisco to New Orleans ; but it 
was a losing season to me. Of 
130 




Mrs. yohn Drew 



From a photograph by JV. L. Germon, Philadel- 
phia. In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

course, if the money did not come 
in, and it did not, I couldn't get it. 
So in June I came home to my 
son John, with whom and his dear 
wife I have lived ever since, vary- 
ing the scene by occasionally acting 
in Philadelphia, Boston, Saratoga, 
and New York. 

About three years before I gave 
up management, I acted for the 
testimonial benefit given by the 
citizens of Philadelphia to their 
representative actor, Mr. James E. 
Murdoch. Mrs. D. P. Bowers 
acted Mrs. Haller in (a most ex- 
traordinary arrangement of the 
play) " The Stranger," Mr. Mur- 
doch as the stranger, followed by a' 
three-act version of " The School 
133 



Autobiographical Sketch 

for Scandal," with Mr. Murdoch 
as Charles Surface, Mr. George 
Holland as Sir Peter teazle, Mr. 
Drew as Joseph Surface^ and myself 
as Lady 'Teazle. I clung to this 
part — after marriage giving up all 
young parts — in Philadelphia, be- 
cause the public seemed to like to 
see it. 

Mr. Murdoch was in his day 
one of the most delightful of actors. 
His Charles Surface, Young Mirabel, 
Don Felix, Vapid, etc., have never 
been exceeded in excellence. He 
was also a very fine Hamlet. I 
knew him well from 1840 up to 
the time just mentioned. He was 
a delightful companion — would talk 
far into the night upon any con- 
134 




'Joseph Jefferson 25 

From a photograph by Falk 



Mrs. John Drew 

genial subject, the theatre being the 
most favorite topic. He would 
recite whole poems, and his vocab- 
ulary was of the richest description. 
I never heard him make use of an 
oath or a slang word in my life, and 
in youth he possessed the greatest 
spirits. Though he came on the 
stage a very young man, in the 
American company at the Arch he 
hadn't a tone of Mr. Forrest — a 
rare thing in an American actor at 
that time, all being imitations, 
more or less consciously, of that 
great actor. Mr. Murdoch was 
himself alone, not imitating any- 
body in the least, though his style 
was modeled on the Kemble School. 
He lost his only son in the late 
137 



Autobiographical Sketch 

Civil War. He took great interest 
in the conduct of the war, and was 
a thorough American in heart and 
soul. How fast we are all dying 
off, to be sure ! I only know 
one person who is my senior in 
the profession, Mrs. Clara Fisher 
Maeder, and I think it is two years 
since she acted, though she looks 
equal to any fatigue. It is one of 
the ills of this life that when we 
live so long as she and I have done 
we survive our children. She has 
buried several sons, and, like my- 
self, now lives in her grandchildren. 
The keenest sorrow of my life 
came to me in '93, when my dearest 
daughter, Georgie, died in Cali- 
fornia, whither she had gone in 
138 




'James Edward Murdoch^ 

From a lithograph, after a daguerreotype by McCIees & 
German. In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Mrs. John Drew 

search of health, and only found 
death. My eldest daughter died 
some five years ago, and now my 
son John is the only remaining 
link with his father's memory. I 
look on him with considerable pride 
— not personal, for I had nothing 
to do with his professional advance- 
ment, as he came to Daly's The- 
atre when just twenty-one, and re- 
mained there till a few seasons ago, 
under a much more energetic and 
capable manager than myself. 

And now let me devote a few 
lines to the late John Drew, now 
deceased thirty-four years. I don't 
think there are many persons sur- 
viving him now who remember 
him well, and he was worth re- 



Autobiographical Sketch 

membering ; one of the best actors 
I ever saw, in a long list of the 
most varied description. Had he 
lived to be forty - five, he would 
have been a great actor. But too 
early a success was his ruin ; it left 
him nothing to do. Why should 
he study when he was assured on 
all sides (except my own) that he 
was as near perfection as was pos- 
sible for man to be? So he finished 
his brief and brilliant career at 
thirty-four years of age, about the 
age when men generally study most 
steadily and aspire most ambi- 
tiously. 



142 




'John Drew, Sr. 

From a photograph in the collection of Peter 
Gilsey, Esq. 



: ' Life ! we've been long together, 
Through pleasant and through cloudy weather; 
'Tis hard to part when friends are dear ; 
Perhaps 'twill cause a sigh, a tear ; 
Then steal away, give little warning, 
Choose thine own time ; 
Say not Good-Night, but in some brighter 

clime, 
Bid me Good -Morning.' ' 



[The stanza above, from Mrs. Barbauld's poem, my 
mother bade me inscribe on her tomb in Glenwood 
Cemetery, Philadelphia. — John Drew.] 



Appendix 



Biographical Notes 

By Douglas Taylor 

(i) * Thomas Potter Cooke, familiarly 
known as " Tippy Cooke," left London 
at the age often to join the navy, where 
he distinguished himself by courageous 
exploits on various occasions. The 
peace of Amiens closing that career he 
sought his second love — the stage, play- 
ing small parts in the provinces until 
engaged by Elliston as stage manager 
of the Surrey. He subsequently joined 
the Adelphi, Drury Lane, English Opera 
House and Covent Garden Theatres, 
performing eccentric and melodramatic 
parts suited to his mammoth frame, like 
Orson and the Monster in " Franken- 
stein," and being especially liked in 

* This and the following figures refer to the num- 
bered illustrations. 



Appendix 

Long Tom Coffin and other sailor charac- 
ters. In 1829 a poor playwright named 
Douglas Jerrold had " Black-Eyed 
Susan " accepted by Elliston, who made 
a small fortune out of its four hundred 
consecutive performances with Cooke 
as William, whose representation be- 
came a part of English stage history. 
Mr. Cooke died in 1864. 

(2) Miss Maria Foote, born in Ply- 
mouth in 1798, was a direct descendant 
of the celebrated Samuel Foote, and 
became renowned not only as an ele- 
gant and fascinating comedienne, but 
through her association with Colonel 
Berkeley and Pea Green Hayne, both 
of them men of fashion who repudiated 
their promises of marriage to the lovely 
actress. Her first appearance was at 
her father's theatre in Plymouth as 
Juliet, and other tragic characters, which 
she soon exchanged for light comedy so 
successfully as to be engaged at Covent 



WHEATLEY AND DREW'S 

ARCH ST. THEATRE 



MANAGERS, 



•AX3A.IIST 



RESTORED! 

To-Night, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 1854 

SHAKSPERE'S 

mm * nmui 




ERRORS 

Wi)I,be repented for the Secoiri Time this Season, and for the 

80th Time by the Star Company 

Anlii.hBlmir.fEi.bMui Mi vol u IIEATLKV 1.1 Officer , ,.. , Mr. REILLT 

l„;„j i.Mr. JOHN DREW I Srrv.nl Mr. CATERSON 

Amr.1iolo.oi S.r.coso .. .Mr. SIIEWELL. Ailend.iiH »«» JACKSON, MOORE ind MATTHEWS 

DroroioofSrr.coM Mr. P.N. DREW ^ Abbe» Mr. WILKS 

Doko of Epte.us Mr. DOLMAN Adriini Mrs. JOHN DREW 

.Spoil.... ,...:... Mi G1I.E Lpcio.ii Mr, KINLOCK 

Aogelo Mr. BANGS I Li.bn MitaBERNARO 

Cbirci Mr. STEPHENS Bridge*...... Mr*. I Ii EC 

Cleon .Mr. HALT. UieodmL*, Exosnu.^er, • ; . , > ii. Cooveni, &C, bj ihe Troup* of 

!■_> ■■■-■ H ' Ai.iiIii.ot ^ 

PREVIOUS Tl THE COMEDY, 

OVERTURE—" la Bayadere," (Anber.) - - - • ORCHESTRA 

SCHOTTISCHPOLKA-A tePaydent, Kiss C. LUDLAM & Mons. ZAVYSTOWBKI 
OVERTURE—" Der Freischutz," (Weber,) - - - ORCHESTRA 



Iff 


111 


eing Fren;h Drnmi called 

IB 

Pierre 


LB1S! 

'.'.'.'"'.'.','. '....Mr. CATERSON 

Mr. -I \ mil fVE 

Mr. STEPHENS 




Mr. DOLMAN 

new 








Coonl titt.fi Je Uoutoliel 


MirTDinielle 

•1 1 i . 


AIi«.C BERNARD 

: Mo.KrNI.OCK 


sfer 


Mr. FISHER 






Thieve. 1' 





Characters in Two Plays by 

John Drew, ) , , Mrs. J. Drew, 

Frank Drew, \ WW Miss Kinlock, 

Mrs. Kinlock, Mother of Mrs. Drew. 

From a play-bill in the collection of John Drew, Esq. 



Appendix 

Garden permanently. As Maria Dar- 
lington in " A Roland for an Oliver " 
her singing, dancing, and archness 
charmed the London public in general 
and the Earl of Harrington in particu- 
lar, who took her off the stage in 183 1 
and made her his countess. Her fav- 
ored characters were Maria, Letitia 
Hardy, Beatrice, Zorada, Miranda, 
Emily Worthington, ' Desdemona, and 
Ophelia. She died in 1867. 

(3) Edwin Forrest, the great Ameri- 
can tragedian, most renowned and best 
abused of actors, was born in Philadel- 
phia, March 9, 1806. His early life 
was a history of poverty, struggles and 
vicissitudes as circus rider, negro min- 
strel, and ambitious actor, until his en- 
ergy and industry conquered and he 
became the idol of the people. No 
man on the stage made warmer friends 
or more bitter enemies, nor was made 
the subject of more enthusiastic adula- 



Appendix 

tion and severe critical censure during 
the thirty years he was the acknowl- 
edged head of his profession. 

In early life his great characters were 
Othello, Rolla, Carwin, Mark Anthony, 
Damon, William Tell, and in the pieces 
written for him in which he has never 
had a successor — Spartacus, Metamora 
and Jack Cade. Later, he improved 
with care and study, and discarding 
much of the " ranting " he was charged 
with, became the Lear, Richelieu, Vir- 
ginius and Coriolanus of his admiring 
countrymen. His superb physique and 
magnificent voice were not appreciated 
in England, which he visited in 1836 
and 1845, the last visit leading to the 
quarrel with Macready and conse- 
quently to the memorable Astor Place 
riot of May 10, 1849. 

Forrest clubs and Forrest associations, 
filled with youthful enthusiasts, deified 
him and defied his traducers, and after 

154 



PHILADELPHIA. 

MONDAY EVENING, JANUARY 5, 1829. 

CHESTNUT STREET THEATRE. 

Miss Lane. — This astonishing little crea- 
ture appeared at the Chestnut Street Theatre 
last evening. She is not more than ten years 
of age, and evinces a talent for and a knowledge 
of the stage beyond what we find in many ex- 
perienced performers of merit. The entertain- 
ment of Twelve Precisely is well adapted to the 
display of the versatility of her powers ; and in 
the Irish Girl she may, with truth, be pro- 
nounced inimitably comic. Her brogue and 
manner are excellent. The Young Soldier was 
also admirably assumed ; his coxcombical airs 
were natural, evinced astonishing observation in 
a child so young, and literally convulsed the 
house with laughter. Her performance of 
Little Pickle also possessed great merit, and the 
applause bestowed upon her throughout the even- 
ing bespoke the wonder and delight of the 
audience. Those who have a taste for the 
wonderful should not miss the present oppor- 
tunity of gratifying it. We promise ourselves a 
treat of no ordinary kind when she appears as 
Goldfinch in the Road to Ruin. — Extract from 
a Philadelphia Newspaper. 



Appendix 

the verdict in the Forrest divorce case in 
1852, crowds at "Christy's Minstrels" 
nightly, for months, encored the song of 
the evening " Jordan am a Hard Road 
to Trable " for one verse : 

" For sixty -nine nights the immortal Forrest 
played, 

And sixty-nine crowds he had accordin ; 
In Macbeth, Damon, and Jack Cade 

He' s the greatest actor on this side of Jordan."' 

His proud, spoiled spirit almost broke 
with infirmities of age and temper, when 
his last performances and readings in 
1871 and 1872 were comparative fail- 
ures, and on December 12, 1872, the 
great, generous, magnetic, but lonely 
and unhappy man, died. 

(4) Clara Fisher's first appearance 
at Drury Lane in 18 17, when but six 
years old, occasioned a craze for the 
" Infant Phenomenon " that swept 
through England ; and, that being ex- 
hausted, she was brought in 1827 to 



Appendix 

triumph in America as a sparkling 
comedienne. Until her marriage in 
1834 to Professor James G. Maeder 
she was the favorite of the stage, and 
continued to act, though with dimin- 
ished lustre, until 1880, when she left 
the profession. 

As an infant prodigy her greatest suc- 
cesses were in Richard III., Douglas, 
Shylock, and similar parts, and her more 
mature and acceptable performances in 
her famous career throughout the Uni- 
ted States for ten or fifteen years were 
in " Kate Kearney," " Letitia Hardy," 
" Clari," " Paul, the Pet," « Victoire," 
"Kate O'Brien" and the whole range 
of bright musical comedy and elegant 
vaudeville. She died at Metuchen, 
N. J., on November 12, 1898. 

(5) Joseph Jefferson, first of that 
name, the son of the comedian of Gar- 
rick's company, Thomas Jefferson, and 
grandfather of our Joe, was born in 
158 



%1>t&tvt< 



Second Wight of the TSev/ 

JVationat Drama, 

Written by a "Cntleman of acknowledged literary talent 
of this City. 

MISS LANE's 

Last Night but One. 

THIS EVENING, FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 1823, 

If'iM be presented, (for the second time on any stage) the 

Rational Drama of the 

8th of January. 

THE PROLOGUE, 

Written by JA iES jV. DARKER, Eij. wit be Spoken by Mr. XVEMYSS. 

lileneral Jackson, - - - Mr. Rowbotham. 

Colonel Kemper, ... - Mr. Darlcy. 
Sir Edward Packcnham, - - - Mr. Wemyss. 
Captain M'Fuso, ... - Mr. Altorcer. 
John Bull, .... - Mr. Warren. 
Charles, an American Officer, - - Mr. Southwell. 
Billy Bowbell, a Limmmer, - - Mr. Jefferson. 
Sergeant, '. - - - - Mr. Jones. 

Colonel Thornton, - - - - Mr, Grierson. 
Kentucky Rifleman, - - - Mr. Heyl. 

Charlotte, ----- Mrs. Rowbotham. 
Villagers, Peasants, British Soldiers, American Soldiers, tfC. 

ACT FJRST-SCEXF. FIRST, 

ROMANTIC COUNTRY, AND DISTANT 

View of New Orleans. 

ACT SECOND, 

Banks of the Mississippi. 

John Bull's Mill and Collage. 

CONFLAGRATION 

OF JOHN BULL'S MILL, 

By the British Soldiers. 

ACT TniRD, 

AMERICAN LINES 

BELOW NEW ORLEANS, 
Distant View of the British Encampment 



102; 



OR, THE VETERAN AND HIS PROGENY. 

CjSWfcr. % Messrs. Jcflcrso] I .tot, Hcyt, Mils E. Jefferson 

Grand Jackson March 

AND 

QUICK STEP, 

COMPOSED FOR THE 

JACKSON WREATH, 

BY MR. BRAUN, WILE BE PLAYED BY THE 

FULL ORCHESTRA, 

PREVIOUS TO THE EIGHTH OF JANUARY. 
The uiolt lo and^ie air* the Taeet of 

FOUR MOWBRAYS. 

OM Wilton, « Bachelor of Sixty Mr. HmhxtU. 

Charles Mow!,:. >.V,[i.. Nephc.v Mr. MDoueal. 

I'elrr, » ikon's Hardener Mr. Heyl. 

William Mr. Lee. 

Pcgey MUr ILjtlw'.l 

Matilda Mowbray, .... Miss LANE! 

Master Hector Mowbray, - - Miss LAiSEV. 

Master Gobbleton Mowbray, - - Miss LANE!!! 

Master Foppington Mowbray, - - Miss LANE!!!! 

Play Bill of the Chestnut Street Theatre, 
January <?, 1829 

Miss Lane {Mrs. Drew) appears in four characters in 
the "Four Moiv brays." In the collection of Peter 
Gi/sey, Esq. 



Appendix 

Plymouth, England, in 1774. Tired 
of the Plymouth stage, with which he 
had been connected from childhood, he 
came, at the suggestion of Manager 
Powell, of Boston, to America at the 
age of twenty, and played with Hodg- 
kinson and Hallam at the John Street 
Theatre, New York, until Dunlap 
opened the Park in 1798. For five 
years he there essayed comic and old 
men's characters until, in 1803, he was 
fortunately and permanently engaged at 
the then leading theatre of the country, 
the Chestnut Street, in Philadelphia. 
There he practically remained until his 
death, in August, 1832, the favorite 
and popular comedian of the American 
stage. Of the two hundred characters 
he essayed, many are unknown to the 
playgoer of the present day, but his ver- 
satile talent was greatly commended in 
Polonius, 'Jeremy Diddler, Touchstone, 
Bob Acres, Dominie Sampson, Mawworm, 
161 



Appendix 

Captain Copp^ Dogberry , Scaramouch and 
Solus in " Every One Has His Fault," 
a comedy by Mrs. Inchbald. 

Only careful and clear-headed read- 
ers of William Winter can form an 
idea of the comic genius involved in the 
name of Jefferson on the American 
stage. One of its most prominent 
members, who died when but twenty- 
three, was John Jefferson, third son of 
Joseph. His last performance was in 
1 83 1, at Lancaster, in " The School for 
Scandal." The cast was as follows : 

Sir Peter Teazle Joseph Jefferson, Sr. 

Sir Oliver Surface John Jefferson 

Ro-xvley Joseph Jefferson, Jr. 

(Father of Our Joe.) 

Lady Teazle Mrs. S. Chapman 

(Elizabeth Jefferson, John's sister, a celebrated and 
popular Park Theatre actress.) 

Mrs. Candour Mrs. Joseph Jefferson, Jr. 

Lady Sneer-uoell Jane Jefferson Anderson 

(Daughter of John's sister, Euphemia, and mother of 

Effie Germon.) 
Maria Miss Mary Anne Jefferson 

162 



v 




m 

" im sti ' dl 

1 \ ' 









William Florence and 'Joseph Jefferson 

From a photograph by Folk 



Appendix 

(6) Madame Celeste, who came here 
under the name of Mademoiselle Ce- 
leste, in June, 1827, and bounded at 
once into the affections of young New 
York, claimed to be but fourteen years 
of age when she appeared at the Bow- 
ery, then called the American Theatre. 
The next year the precocious beauty 
became the wife of Henry Elliott, of 
Baltimore, but remained on the stage 
the only premiere danseuse and panto- 
mimist in the country. 

After two years of immense success 
in our cities she returned home to 
Paris, then to London, and became a 
star on the English stage. Every few 
years she would make her " last appear- 
ance in America," and her farewell 
benefits outnumbered Miss Cushman's. 
Much as she played in English-speak- 
ing lands she was unable to learn the 
language until late in her career, and her 
attractions were confined to her wonder- 
165 



Appendix 

fully expressive pantomime and her ex- 
quisite dancing ; she created Mathilde 
in the " French Spy," Miami in the 
"Green Bushes," Fenella in " Masani- 
ello," Miriam in "The Woman in 
Red," and the Bayadere in Auber's 
beautiful ballet-opera. 

(7) Alexina Fisher, born in Frank- 
fort, Ky., in 1822, inherited her bril- 
liant talents from her popular father and 
mother, Mr. and Mrs. Palmer Fisher, 
the latter best known to fame and 
Philadelphia audiences as Mrs. Edward 
N. Thayer. Alexina, who appeared 
in infancy on the stage, made her first 
success as Young Nerval at the New 
York Bowery in 1831, although she 
had previously appeared at the Park as 
Clara in the " Maid of Milan," and she 
became, like her relative and predeces- 
sor, the celebrated Clara Fisher, a star- 
ring " infant prodigy," even performing 
Juliet to George Jones's Romeo for her 
166 



ARCH ST. THEATRE 



THURSDAY EVEtfltfG, MAY 14th, '5T 




OH, THE KB-E-3^3E»3aS O^" THE! R.HIISTE1! 

PRODUCED IN A STYLE OP UNEQUALED 

GRANDEUR AND DAZZLING BEAUTY! 

■And mih that genera] attention to detail peculiar to Ibii Establishment. The 

Gorgeous Scenery, by the Talented Artists, Mr, John Wiser and Mr. Thos. Glessing. 

Mechanism, by Mr. Jos. Stiahaii ; Costumes, by Mr. Frank Johnson ; Appointments, by Mr. Charles long. 

B - n . - „ MORTALS. > Corrilla . . Miu, r nvpn 

S ." ";. V'" ""'"' Mr. MORROW 



SHE E 



Lurline, Queen of the Nai 
Ita 

Tain. 

Sparkle, (her tirsl appeinnce at the, Theatre) .;; CLLA 
B ' n ' - Sliest 



I. S. CLARKE 

' "J Meek Fir? 

Goggle Eye.. 



.BAKER I Carbuncle 



GEAND PAS DE DEUX-" las Naiads," Miss C Ludlam and Miss Ella Warren 



Play Bill of the Arch Street Theatre, May 14, 1857 

In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Appendix 

benefit at the Bowery. From 1835 to 
1850 Miss Fisher was attached for 
seven years to the Chestnut and eight 
years to the Walnut's regular companies 
in Philadelphia, dividing the honors, as 
a comedienne, with her mother. 

In 1 85 1 she married John Lewis 
Baker and went with him to California 
for three years, performing there and 
subsequently at the various theatres he 
managed in Cincinnati, Louisville, and 
lastly the Grand Opera House, New 
York, all the leading characters in gen- 
teel comedy and lighter tragedy with 
unvarying success. Her last appear- 
ance in New York was in support of 
Edwin Booth during his famous Winter 
Garden engagement of 1862. She died 
in Philadelphia, March 27, 1887. 

(8) Charles, youngest of the Kemble 

family, was born the year his sister, 

Mrs. Siddons, made her first appearance 

at Drury Lane, 1775. This graceful, 

169 



Appendix 

elegant actor, after awkward beginnings, 
became the incomparable Mercutio, Fal- 
conbridge, Mirabel, Cassio, Orlando, Cap- 
tain Jb solute, Charles Surface, Romeo and 
Benedick of the English stage for nearly 
a quarter of a century — most of it passed 
with his talented family at Drury Lane, 
Haymarket, and Covent Garden Thea- 
tres; of the last named he became mana- 
ger, to his infinite loss and vexation. 

Saved from ruin by his daughter's 
talents, he brought her to America in 
1832 to reap a golden harvest. His 
fame and her beauty, with their com- 
bined brilliant acting, filled the leading 
theatres of the country till 1834, when 
she married and in 1835 he returned to 
England to remain. Although he fair- 
ly performed leading parts in tragedies 
such as Hamlet, Pierre, Richard III., 
and Othello, his gay, gallant, and effect- 
ive personation of high comedy carried 
the intelligent audiences by storm. 



Appendix 

From 1835 to 1840 he occasionally 
acted in England, but preferred giving 
readings of Shakespeare, which he did 
frequently by royal command, though his 
increasing deafness interfered greatly 
with his stage performances. He held 
the position of Examiner of Plays, to 
which he had been appointed by the 
Lord Chamberlain, until his death on 
November 11, 1854. 

(9) Frances Anne Kemble, author- 
ess, poetess, and actress, beautiful and 
gifted, was born in London, November 
27, 1809. To save her father, Charles 
Kemble, from bankruptcy, she went on 
the stage in 1829 and at once took her 
place on the top of the ladder, disdain- 
ing, however (as did an eminent Ameri- 
can actress), the steps which led to re- 
nown, and made friends, fame, and 
fortune. For nearly three years she 
filled Covent Garden and replenished 
its exhausted treasury with her wonder- 



Appendix 

ful impersonation of "Juliet (her first 
part), and in Lady Teazle, Portia, Bea- 
trice, Bianca, as well as her aunt's (Mrs. 
Siddons) great characters, Isabella, Eu- 
phrasia, Calista and Belvidera. Equal 
to her Juliet was her original part of 
Julia in the " Hunchback," and when 
she came with her father to America 
in September, 1832, her reception and 
continued support by the best elements 
of society were unprecedented. In the 
full tide of triumphant success she left 
the stage in 1834 to make an unhappy 
alliance with Pierce Butler of Philadel- 
phia, who took her — an ardent aboli- 
tionist — to his plantation in Georgia. 
In 1845 she became divorced from Mr. 
Butler. The following year she spent 
with her talented sister, Adelaide Kemble 
Sartoris, in Continental travel, and in 
1847 commenced her famous readings, 
with unvarying success both in America 
and England. The last of these in 



WHEATLEY X CLARKE'S 

ARCH ST. THEATRE 

AOTINP AMD STAGE MANACrBB, - ■ ■ - - W. 8, FREDERICKS 

SECOND WEEK 

GLORIOUSLY SUCCESSFUL COMEDY, 

Taken from ■ Play entitled "ROCH ESTFF." by the ce'ebrated MorcEKirr, which faa achieved a most Triumphant Suecen of over 50 NJGHT8 AT 
WALLACK'd THEATRE, NKW YORK ind Mil! l \ tl nhment. Il b« been carefully 

FAST MEN 

OF THE 

oi^g|jnMEL„. 

TTrESn^Y'EVE^IJ^r^OT. 2», '59, 

WITH 

Entirely New Scenery, by J. WISER ; New and Characteristic Costumes, by F. JOHNSON ; New Appoint? 
ments, by T. BAEBETT ; New Dances, by W. WOOD ; and Music Arranged by CHA8, R. DODWOETH. 

EVERY ARTIST IN THE THEATRE will be included in Ihe Complete .nd Powerful Cut. 






Chaik* II. King of England 



'ViliCATI El 



r BRADLEY 



Mr. JOHN DREW 



Play Bill of the Arch Street Theatre, 
November 2g, l8$g 

In the collection of Peter Gilsey, Esq. 



Appendix 

New York was given to crowded and 
cultured audiences in Steinway Hall, 
October, 1868. She died at her 
daughter's residence in London, Janu- 
ary 16, 1893. 

(10) Junius Brutus Booth was restless 
and erratic even in youth. After absorb- 
ing a fine classical education he at- 
tempted to learn the printing-trade, then 
studied law, which he soon left to enter 
the navy ; finally, at seventeen, he be- 
came a strolling actor with Penley's 
Circuit, and after two years of provincial 
plaving, reached a small stock position 
in Covent Garden Theatre in 1815 and 
1816. 

An injudicious attempt of his friends 
to place him in competition with Edmund 
Kean, who at times assumed to be his 
friend, resulted in angry rivalry and riot, 
and ended in his leaving England in 
April, 1 82 1, for America. 

Having already achieved a success 



Appendix 

with all but Kean's supporters in " Rich- 
ard III.," he chose that for his principal 
part in the New World, and soon estab- 
lished his reputation as a star of the 
first magnitude throughout the Union, 
especially in Richard, Pescara, Iago, 
Hamlet, Sir Giles, Shylock, Sir Edward 
Mortimer and Brutus in John Howard 
Payne's tragedy. His eccentricity was 
exhibited in occasionally performing John 
Lump in the " Review," or Jerry Sneak 
in the "Mayor of Garrett" (clownish, 
comic afterpieces on his benefit nights), 
and his acquirements were shown by 
his performance at Bristol of Shylock in 
a strange Hebrew dialect and of Orestes 
in the original French at New Orleans. 
From 1822 to 1838 his starring 
tours (including two visits to England, 
where his splendid abilities were finally 
acknowledged), brought him increasing 
fame and fortune, but both were sadly 
interfered with by his unfortunate in- 
176 



Appendix 

temperance, approaching at times to in- 
sanity. After 1838, when an acciden- 
tal blow of his friend, Tom Flynn, broke 
his nose, defacing his handsome visage 
and spoiling a splendid voice, he played 
but seldom, passing his days on his farm 
in Maryland. His last years, clouded 
by his growing infirmity, ended with his 
performances in New Orleans in No- 
vember, 1852, and he died on the boat, 
on his way home, on the 22d of that 
month. 

(11) Josephine Clifton was never 
great, but her beauty, romantic career 
and association with Hamblin and For- 
rest, placed her more prominently before 
the public than better actresses, and her 
splendid presence and fine voice proved 
attractive from her first appearance in 
1 83 1 at the Bowery until she retired as 
the wife of Robert L. Place, the New 
Orleans manager, in 1846. She was 
the first American actress to star in 
177 



Appendix 

England, appearing at Drury Lane in 
1835 in her favorite characters of Bel- 
videra, Imogene, Bianca and 'Juliet. In 
1837 she made Gusto a success in the 
play written for her by N. P. Willis, 
entitled " Bianca Violante," in which 
she played the title role. Her sub- 
sequent performances in her native city 
of New York and throughout the States 
were mainly with Forrest, and in his 
especial pieces. She died in New Or- 
leans, November 22, 1847. 

(12) Thomas Sowerby Hamblin was 
born in London in 1 800, and after per- 
forming for six years in England, rising 
from small business in the provinces to 
a prominent place at Drury Lane, came 
here, in 1825, and on November 1st 
appeared at the Park Theatre as Hamlet. 
After starring through the United States 
for four years as a tragedian, he became 
the lessee of the Bowery Theatre, New 
York, " Baron " James H. Hackett 
178 



Appendix 

being associated with him for the first 
year (1830). Five years of careful 
management made Hamblin sole owner, 
when in September, 1836, the theatre 
burned down after the performance of 
Miss Medina's successful play of " La- 
fitte," causing a total loss. Undis- 
mayed, Hamblin secured a lease of the 
rebuilt Bowery, which was burned in 
1838 and again in 1845. 

In 1848 he procured and refitted the 
Old Park Theatre, which opened on 
September 4th, and was burned down 
on December 16th, closing the career 
of " Old Drury " and of Hamblin as 
manager at the same time. No man 
was better known in the thirties and 
forties in New York than Tom Ham- 
blin, and his fine Roman head and 
strongly marked face were familiar at 
Windust's, Florence's, the Astor and all 
such places where men loved to con- 
gregate. He was a strong melodramatic 



, Appendix 

actor, but troubled with a severe asthma 
which frequently affected his speech. He 
died at his residence in Broom Street, 
January 8, 1853. 

(13) Mrs- Shaw, nee Eliza Marion 
Teewar, fourth and last wife of Tom 
Hamblin,came here from England when 
twenty-five and made her first appear- 
ance at the Park as Marviana in " The 
Wife," February 28, 1836; she also 
appeared successfully before becoming a 
fixture at the old " Bowery," in Juliet, 
Christine, Evadne, Julia, and the lighter 
characters of tragedy, although her 
beauty and talents were better adapted 
to high comedy, and as the heroine of 
Knowles' plays and in Beatrice, Violante, 
Juliana, Lady Teazle, and Rosalind she 
charmed the playgoers. Her fine tall 
figure showed to rare advantage in 
" breeches parts," and she included 
Hamlet, Ion, Romeo, Young Norval, and 
Jack Sbeppard in her repertory. From 



Appendix 

1839, with the exception of brief star- 
ring trips through the country, she re- 
mained with Hamblin and the " Bow- 
ery " as leading lady, unsurpassed in the 
general excellence of her very varied 
personations. She retired from the stage 
on account of her increasing stoutness 
before i860, and died July 4, 1873. 

(14) George Horton Barrett (" Gen- 
tleman George ") came here as an in- 
fant from England, where he was born 
June 9, 1794, and appeared, when but 
thirteen years old, as Young Norval at 
the Park Theatre. He afterwards be- 
came one of the best known light 
comedians on our stage, performing 
with great success, Charles Surface, Puff 
in the " Critic," Captain Absolute, Dori- 
court, and similar characters from 1822 
to 1855, when he took his farewell 
testimonial benefit at the New York 
Academy of Music. Mr. Barrett was 
especially celebrated as a stage manager 



Appendix 

through a long part of his fifty years of 
professional life, first with Gilfert of the 
Bowery Theatre, then with Tom Barry 
at the Tremont Theatre in Boston : 
afterward with Caldwell of the New 
Orleans Theatre. 

He was the best known in this city 
as the manager of Colonel Mann's 
Broadway Theatre from its opening in 
1847. He was a tall and graceful actor, 
with a refined manner which secured his 
well-known appellation. He died in 
New York City, September 5, i860. 

(15) Thomas Apthorpe Cooper left 
unappreciative London in his twentieth 
year to try his fortune with Manager 
Thomas Wignellat the Chestnut Street 
Theatre in Philadelphia in 1796. 
There, as afterward in New York, his 
handsome face and figure, fine voice, 
and unquestioned ability made him the 
popular favorite in leading parts both of 
tragedy and genteel comedy. 



Appendix 

During the first quarter of the cen- 
tury he was the acknowledged leader of 
the profession, and both on and off the 
stage courted and admired. In 1806 
he became, first with Dunlap then with 
Stephen Price, the manager of the Park 
Theatre until 18 14. In 1803 he had 
visited England and again in 18 10 with 
only moderate success. At the latter 
visit he induced George Frederick Cooke 
to come to America with him ; during 
Cooper's last visit to England in 1828 he 
was coldly treated as an American, but 
welcomed home warmly when, with 
J. H. Hackett as lago, he produced 
u Othello " on his return. Both these 
parts, with Hamlet, Macbeth, Leon, 
Pierre, Mark Anthony, Beverly, Hotspur, 
Petruchio, Doricourt and Charles Surface, 
were ranked among the best of the one 
hundred and fifty characters he fre- 
quently appeared in. He practically left 
the stage in 1835, although he played 



Appendix 

occasionally until 1838. Through the 
influence of his son-in-law, Robert 
Tyler, he was appointed a New York 
Custom House officer, a position he 
held until his death at Bristol, Pa., in 
his seventy-third year, April 21, 1849. 
(16) Edmon Sheppard Conner, born 
in Philadelphia, September 9, 1809, at 
twenty left the tailoring board to do 
small parts at the Arch and Walnut 
Street Theatres, thence to Cincinnati 
and the West. He was a fine-looking, 
tall and versatile actor; he played all 
sorts of business with Wemyss from 
1834 to 1838 in Pittsburg and Phila- 
delphia. In the latter year he became 
leading juvenile at Wallack's National 
Theatre in New York, and for several 
years thereafter performed mainly in 
New York and his native city lighter 
parts in both tragedy and comedy, with 
occasional dashes into melodrama, which 
was his best forte. His favorite parts 



Appendix 

were Claude Melnotte, Wallace, Rob Roy, 
etc. He also, with moderate success, 
managed the Arch Street Theatre from 
1850 to 1852, and the Albany Theatre 
in 1853 an d J 854- For twenty years 
he made starring tours through this 
country (visiting England in 1875), 
where his commanding presence and 
remarkable versatility were fairly ac- 
ceptable. He died at Rutherford, N. J., 
on December 15, 1891. 

(17) Charlotte Saunders Cushman, 
descendant of the Puritan Cushmans of 
Mayflower days, fought down the ill- 
success attending her first essay in 
opera, and after years of struggling as a 
poorly paid stock actress at the Bowery 
and Park Theatres, by sheer merit rose 
to the position of the Queen of Trag- 
edy, and maintained it for twenty years. 
From* 1845 to 1849, and again from 
1852 to 1857, sne was so recognized in 
England and divided the applause with 



Appendix 

Macready at the Princess's Theatre in 
London on her first visit. Her forcible 
and almost masculine manner and face 
prevented success in comedy, but made 
her Meg Merrilies, Nancy Sykes, and 
Helen McGregor, as well as Lady Mac- 
beth, Alicia, £)ueen Catherine, and Bianca, 
world-renowned. In heavy tragedy and 
melodrama no one has filled her place. 
She was acceptable as Romeo, which she 
often played, and passable as Hamlet, 
Wohey, and even Claude Melnotte. Dur- 
ing the war she performed several times 
for the sanitary commissions, and gave 
liberally of her large fortune. She con- 
tented herself with giving readings, 
which were uniformly successful, from 
1870 to 1875, and died, in her native 
city of Boston, February 18, 1876, in 
her sixtieth year. 

(18) James Thorne, from the Eng- 
lish Opera House, London, made his 
first appearance in America at the Park 
186 



Appendix 

Theatre, New York, on the occasion of 
Miss Mary Rock's benefit, November 
5, 1830, as Count Belino, and performed 
with various success in several operas, 
making a hit here, as he had in Eng- 
land, as Figaro in the " Barber of Se- 
ville." He gave up singing in 1834, 
and forming a partnership with James 
M. Scott managed the Cincinnati and 
Vicksburgh Theatres, where, as in 
other western cities, he acceptably 
played " old men's " characters in come- 
dies. He died on his way home in 

1843. 

(19) Tyrone Power, the Waterford 
boy, tried the army and navy. Early in 
life he was sent to South Africa, but 
soon returned, and in his twentieth year, 
in 1 8 15, became an actor, struggling in 
light comedy and as general utility man 
in small London and country theatres 
for ten or twelve years, with a brief re- 
tirement about 18 19 and 1820. In 
187 



i 



Appendix 

1827, much to his disgust and against 
his remonstrances, he was cast for an 
Irish character which made such a hit 
he thereafter became exclusively an 
Irish comedian — dwarfing his predeces- 
sors, Irish Johnstone and Connor, and 
even obliterating Moody, the first stage 
Irishman. Murtoch Delany, Bulgrud- 
dery, Dr. O' Toole , and Maj or O 'Flaherty 
became famous ; his own plays of " St. 
Patrick's Eve," " Rory O'More," and 
" Flannigan and the Fairies " added to 
his celebrity, and the Haymarket gladly 
paid him £150 a week in 1834, when a 
dozen years before he had received but 
three. He became immensely popular 
in America, which he visited in 1833, 
1836, and 1839; and his well-known 
book, " Impressions of America," 
shows a hearty appreciation of the 
country and his many warm friends 
here. Besides being the best Sir Lucius, 
Paddy O'Rafferty, Tim Moore, and Sir 



Appendix 

Patrick O'PIenipo ever seen, his genial 
persona] character and the talents he ex- 
hibited as playwriter, poet, and novelist 
made his visits here reciprocally delight- 
ful, and the loss of the steamship Presi- 
dent in March, in 1 841, caused genuine 
mourning on both sides of the ocean, for 
the brilliant actor and gentleman who 
sank with her. 

(20) John R. Scott, a talented, ro- 
bust tragedian and melodramatic actor 
of the Forrest school, was born in the 
birthplace of many eminent American 
actors, Philadelphia, October 17, 1808. 
His early career was a series of struggles 
from his first appearance in 1827, until 

1 846, when he visited England, playing 
at the Princess Theatre in London in 

1847, and returned to the Old Bowery, 
where he had been for years the favor- 
ite of the east side theatre-goers. He 
remained at the Bowery, with the ex- 
ception of brief starring visits South and 



Appendix 

West, till 1852, then joined Purdy's 
National Theatre until his death, which 
occurred March 2, 1856, and which 
was hastened by his unfortunate social 
habits and indulgence. 

In early life he had supported Forrest 
with great effect, and in later years per- 
formed many of Forrest's parts with 
power and vigor, especially Pierre in 
" Venice Preserved," Damon, Virginius, 
Macbeth, and Carwin. 

(21) William Charles Macready, 
born March 3, 1793, was well educated 
in his native London and at Rugby, 
with a view to the practice of law, but 
his father's ill-success at management 
in the provinces drove him to the stage, 
and at the age of sixteen he essayed 
Romeo successfully in Birmingham. 
Three years after he performed Orestes 
at Covent Garden, and soon became 
the leading tragedian of England, filling, 
for over twenty years, the place held 



Appendix 

before by Edmund Kean and the Kem- 
bles, and after his retirement in 1851, 
by Phelps and Irving. 

This acknowledged leader and pride 
of the British stage also won the admi- 
ration of the more cultured citizens 
during his three visits to America in 
1826, 1843, and 1848. The last visit, 
however, closed with the unhappy 
quarrel with Forrest and consequent 
terrible riot in Astor Place. Full of 
mannerisms, with peculiar voice and 
homely visage, his genius, industry, and 
wonderful ability as an artist kept him 
in the front and defied all opposition, or 
even competition. He left the stage in 
the height of his power and popularity 
at the age of fifty-eight, living in quiet 
retirement with his books and studies 
and eminent friends until his death in 

i873- 

His range extended through the 
higher walks of tragedy and melodrama, 



Appendix 

his most appreciated parts being Mac- 
beth, Othello, Werner, Wallace, Richard 
II. , Rob Roy, Virginius, and Richelieu. 
Of the last three he was the original 
performer, and also of Gisippus, William 
Tell, Alfred Evelyn, and Claude Mel- 
notte. 

His eccentricities of temper are best 
indicated by his published diary, a strange 
compound of piety, petulance, and peni- 
tence. 

(22) John Drew, Sr., was not only 
a renowned personator of Irish charac- 
ters, but an admirable actor of light 
eccentric comedy parts, which he often 
played in the early portion of his too 
brief career. In New York, Philadel- 
phia, San Francisco, Albany and other 
cities where he was an especial favorite, 
he was more closely identified with 
"Handy Andy," Dr. O' Toole, Sir Lu- 
cius O 'Trigger, " The Irish Emigrant," 
and other popular representations of 





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si M - 


F ^H 


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Silver Ewer and Goblets 



Presented to Mrs. John Dreiv on Accession to the 
Management of the Arch Street Theatre, 1861. In 
the possession of John Dreiv, Esq. 




Silver Salver presented to Mrs. John Drew 
by the stockholders of the Arch Street Theatre, 
l86l. In the possession of John Dreiv, Esq. 



Appendix 

Irishmen than any actor since the 
days of Tyrone Power. Philadelphia 
may be claimed as the home of John 
Drew, and the Arch Street Theatre 
saw its halcyon days under the excellent 
management of Mr. Drew and his part- 
ner, William Wheatley. Mr. Drew 
was born in Dublin, September 3, 1827, 
and died in Philadelphia, May 21, 1862. 
(23) Edward Loomis Davenport, 
one of the most versatile and talented of 
our American actors, was a Boston boy, 
born in 18 16. In the early forties he 
was a favorite stock actor at the Bowery, 
joining Mrs. Mowatt on her starring 
tour, commencing in 1 845 and perform- 
ing with her most of the time until 1 854, 
mainly in England, where both were 
well received. He played leading and 
alternate business with Macready on the 
latter's farewell engagement at the Hay- 
market in 1 85 1. His repertory in- 
cluded widely divergent parts, from 



Appendix 

Hamlet, Othello, Sir Giles Overreach, 
Brutus, and Pescara, to William (" Black- 
Eyed Susan"), Bill Sykes, Hezekiah 
Pokeabout, Captain Hawksley, and Sir 
Harcourt Courtley. In all he was 

equalled by few and in many excelled 
by none. A fondness for occasional 
management caused the loss of most of 
his hard earned and deserved gains, and 
in his later years he formed part of such 
combinations as the " Wallack-Daven- 
port" and " Barrett, Davenport and 
Bangs" starring sets. This most worthy 
gentleman and admirable actor died on 
September I, 1877, at his daughter 
Fanny's residence in Canton, Pa. 

(24) Edwin Booth, named by his 
eccentric father after his then admira- 
tion — Forrest — changed afterward in 
temporary anger to Edwin Thomas, 
has filled too large a space to require 
more than passing mention. The Ber- 
tuccio, Iago, Ruy Bias, Richelieu, and 
196 



Appendix 

Don Ccesar, of the stage and the ideal 
Hamlet of the cultured and intelligent 
lover of the drama, has been portrayed 
recently by Irving, Winter, Barrett, 
Hutton, Bispham, Young, Hill and a 
dozen other writers, and his sweet, simple 
manners, brilliant talents and genial gen- 
erosity extolled by numberless admirers. 
His gentle spirit departed June 7, 1893. 
(25) Joseph Jefferson (Our Joe), 
fourth of the Jeffersons and third of the 
Josephs, was born in Philadelphia, Feb- 
ruary 20, 1829. His first recorded 
appearance, witnessed by Mrs. John 
Drew, was when tumbled out of a bag 
at T. D. Rice's benefit in 1833 at the 
Washington Theatre, with the follow- 
ing couplet introduced in his famous 
song by the negro delineator : " Ladies 
and Gemmen, I'd have you for to know 
I've got a little darkie here to jump Jim 
Crow," which Joe did, imitating per- 
fectly his sable carrier. His barn-storm- 



Appendix 

ing struggle in the West and South, and 
adventures in Mexico, as well as later 
triumphs in England, Australia, and 
through the Union, are familiar to all 
his myriad of admirers through his own 
charming autobiography. In this city 
his first comic part was at Chanfrau's 
National Theatre (the old Chatham) in 
September, 1849, w ^ tn ^ s step-brother, 
Charley Burke, and Mrs. Barney Wil- 
liams, but his great success was not to 
come until October 10, 1858, when 
Laura Keene presented "Our American 
Cousin." After that enormous run he 
joined the new enterprise of Stuart and 
Boucicault called the Winter Garden 
Theatre (where the Grand Central 
Hotel now stands), and made a series 
of hits as Caleb Plummer, Dr. Pan gloss, 
Salem Scudder, Newman Noggs and Rip 
Van Winkle, establishing his reputation 
as the first comedian of the age. In 
1866 he adopted Boucicault's revised 



Appendix 

version of " Rip," making an immense 
success with it, first in England and 
then at home, and has adhered to it ever 
since, occasionally performing Bob Acres 
by way of variety. 

(26) James Edward Murdoch, one 
of the finest elocutionists and light com- 
edians of the American stage, born 
January 25, 181 1, first became cele- 
brated as leading juvenile at the Chest- 
nut Street Theatre in his native city, 
where he supported Fanny Kemble in 
1833. He afterward was stage manager 
of that theatre, and later, in 1 841, of 
the National Theatre, Boston. Until 
1858 he performed at intervals in the 
leading theatres of the United States, 
achieving an unsurpassed reputation in 
Young Mirabel, Claude, Rover, Vapid, 
Benedick, Orlando, Evelyn, and Mercutio, 
and in these especial characters he was 
fortunate enough to please the English 
critics on his visit in 1856. 
199 



Appendix 

The breaking out of the Civil War 
in 1 86 1 brought him from his Ohio 
farm, to which he had retired in 1858, 
and with patriotic zeal he devoted three 
years to reading and lecturing for the 
various sanitary commissions or enter- 
taining the sick and wounded at the 
soldiers' hospitals. Mr. Murdoch's last 
performances were at the grand dra- 
matic festival in Cincinnati in 1883, and 
he died in that city May 19, 1893. 



NOV 18 1899 






.37 



